Many poker and poker-style games are known that involve players to form certain card combinations or hands (for example, flushes, straights, pairs, etc.) to beat other players' hands. Popular variants of such poker games proceed according to one or more of the rules of poker, including but not limited to rules from Texas Hold'em, Draw Poker, Seven-Card Stud Poker, Omaha, or any other version of poker. For example, in hold'em-style games, players must form the best poker hand from the combination of a subset of cards that are dealt face down and private to each player, and a group of community cards that are face up and available to all players. In some embodiments, a dealer may be present, and that dealer may also be a participant in the game. The dealer may represent the house (such as a casino) or himself, and the dealer may perform a variety of tasks such as dealing cards, enforcing game rules, collecting and distributing money and performing any other functions. The dealer may be human, mechanical, or electronic (i.e., in a game played over a network, the dealer may be simulated by a program).
Although scores of electronic poker devices exist that employ electronic dealers, such devices require complex electronics and maintenance not only for individual game operators but also for subscribers to any network over which interactive gaming is effected. For individuals wishing to participate in multi-player poker games, and for many establishments where gaming and entertainment devices must render superior entertainment at minimal cost, mechanical poker games provide reliable operation without sacrificing entertaining value. Prior mechanical poker games, however, limit the interaction of the dealer with other players and often limit the variances in different poker styles that can be played even within the same round of betting.
Accordingly, what is needed is a live table game that incorporates the efficiencies of mechanical dealers yet preserves the desirable one-on-one interaction of human dealers. Such a table game can be realized in a mechanical apparatus that preserves the statistical nature of the deal while enabling the dealer to be a full participant in the game.